Kokoro: Ryubey's Story
by Frappichi
Summary: "You are informing me that the magical girl you recently contracted has been killed by a witch. As an Incubator, you should know this is not at all uncommon...why is there water in your eyes?" A two-sided story exploring the mystery behind an Incubator with the "mental disorder" of emotion.
1. Sing for me

This is just a little something I penned in anticipation for the third Madoka movie. I had the character of Ryubey (an Incubator with the "mental disorder" of emotion) already created, but I wanted to give it a little backstory. Which evolved into a much large backstory than I intended, but it seemed like the kind of thing Urobuchi would pull so I went along with it (hint: there's a specific reason why Ryubey has more emotion than other Incubators. I'll leave some subtle clues, so if you want see if you can figure it out). This obviously takes place in one of the many alternate timelines, and its only going to be a few chapters. For some mystery/tragedy in the spirit of Urobuchi's storytelling style (although_ light years_ away from his prowess) give this a read and let me know your thoughts in the reviews.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or any characters portrayed from the series.

Chapter 1: Sing for Me

Homura walked down the road in silence. She had stopped counting the number of times she'd unrolled time, as each effort proved fruitless. And tonight, the chances of her achieving much in the way of saving Madoka were scarce. Beside her, the streetlights flickered dully, casting fleeting shadows in their wake. She clutched her gun tightly to her side. The street was abandoned: the leaves littering the pathway were evidence that it had not seen shoes for quite some time. And yet, she couldn't deny the sinking feeling that something was watching. Suddenly, one of the lamps burned out. Homura squinted up at the post, noticing a shape sitting atop the broken lamp.

"Kyubey," Homura hissed under her breath, recognizing the billowing tail in an instant. She raised her gun hesitantly. The alien gracefully leapt from its perched into a patch of light in the pathway in front of her.

But the creature was not Kyubey. At least, not completely: it was an Incubator, Homura had no doubt about that. But its fur was the color of wild strawberries, and ears were folded backwards on its head, so it resembled more of a rabbit than a cat. It also had a small blue scarf tied around it neck. Homura was puzzled why it had appeared to her: did it want to contract her?

"You are a magical girl," the Incubator stated bluntly. Homura nodded slowly.

"Sing for me." Homura stared at the alien in confusion.

"What?"

"I want you to sing for me," it repeated, staring at Homura blankly.

"I don't sing," Homura informed it. She reached for her gun, just in case this was some kind of trap.

"I see." The creature bowed its head. "I am looking for the magical girl with the voice of a dove. You are not the magical girl Ryubey is looking for. You may disregard our meeting." It scampered off down the pathway without another word. Homura watched it go quietly.

"Ryubey…" she muttered. It didn't make sense: Kyubey was the Incubator of the area in which she and the other magical girls lived. Kyubey could also regenerate itself, and evidently be in multiple places at once, so there was no need for an additional magical girl contractor.

"Yes." Another voice from behind her caught her attention, and she whirled around to meet the enigmatic face of Kyubey.

"That Incubator was Ryubey," Kyubey stated. It closed its eyes and shook its head. "Please ignore everything it says. I will try to take care of it later. It has a very unfortunate mental disorder."


	2. The girl with the voice of a dove

The way this story is set up, each chapter will alternate between two girls (Runa and Mizuko) and Ryubey. At the end, they will overlap; part of the mystery is finding out how (note: they do not necessarily take place in the same time frame).

Anyways, lots of foreshadowing hints in here-some ridiculously subtle-so see if you can pick them out. And one of the comments: there is no connection between Ryubey and dragons (at least, _not really_) despite the name. It's more for a phonetic reason, but that's all I'll say for now.

Chapter 2: The voice of a dove

_Oh gosh, I hope I'm not late…_ Runa muttered, clutching her schoolbag tightly to her chest. When she reached the door to the theater, she opened it slowly, wincing at the creak it made. Her ears were instantly flooded with a gorgeous, familiar singing voice. She carefully closed the door behind her and rushed into the theatre, taking a seat at the front row. The girl on stage was in mid-song, eyes closed and hand pressed to her chest lightly. She was slightly taller than Runa, with a sweet disposition and minty hair that fell in soft ringlets. Runa closed her eyes, letting herself become lost in her best friend's soothing melody. The girl finished her piece, giving a courtesy to the panel of judges before her. Runa leaped up and applauded loudly.

"Way to go, Mi-chan! Stunning! _Beautiful_!" The judges turned to glare at her interruption, and she sat back down sheepishly.

"Thank you, Mizuko. We'll having our deciding round of callbacks tomorrow, so please prepare accordingly," one of the judges informed her.

"Thank you so much." Mizuko gave another courtesy before existing the stage. Runa grabbed her bag and ran back out of the theater to greet her friend.

"Mi-chaaan!" The taller girl just managed to turn and catch Runa in her arms.

"Morning, Runa," Mizuko greeted her, grinning.

"That was _gorgeous_, Mizuko," Runa gushed, pulling away and doing a little twirl. "You'll get the part, I just know it!"

"I sure hope so," Mizuko laughed, scratching her cheek awkwardly. "I woke up with a bit of a sore throat, so hopefully that didn't affect my voice too much."

"Nope! You sounded beautiful as ever." Runa clasped her hands together. "Say, do you want to go get some cake to celebrate your audition? I've got some extra money."

"Sure." Mizuko nodded. "I mean, I'll have to go home and practice for tomorrow at some point, but I'd love to go the bakery with you. Oh, and Runa?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for coming to my audition...I think having you in the audience encouraged me to sing better." Runa stared at her incredulously.

"But _of course_ I came! You're my best friend, Mizuko! I wouldn't miss your auditions for the world." Runa left out the part about Mizuko also being her _only_ friend. Runa was awkward and clumsy, so she was an easy target for bullies and spent most of her childhood playing by herself. When she first met Mizuko, they were partners in class for a project. The singer was one of the nicest people Runa had meant. She was friendly and warm, if not a bit pensive about her singing talents. And her voice…it was as sweet as a dove's.

The two headed out to their local bakery. Runa ordered her favorite: a strawberry shortcake. Mizuko,however, didn't order anything.

"You _sure_ you don't want a bite of my cake?" Runa asked, delicately removing the small strawberry off the top to save for later.

"I shouldn't," Mizuko admitted. "If you eat sugar before singing, it can affect your voice. And I'm going to practice a bit more tonight for callbacks."

"Ah. Fair enough." Runa ate a forkful of her cake. "It's great cake, though. Makes me wish I actually had money, so I could come here more often. Of course, I could always try and bake a cake myself, but I'd probably set the kitchen on fire. It's a good thing I have you as my lab partner in chemistry, or I'd have surely blown something up by now!" Runa looked over at her friend for a reaction. Mizuko had her head down, mumbling under her breath.

"What are you doing? You're not placing a silencing curse on me or something, are you?"

"What? No, nothing like that!" Mizuko laughed. "Sorry. I'm just practicing the notes I missed in the audition today, so I can hit them tomorrow."

"Got it." Runa watched her friend for another moment, then sighed. "Man, I wish I had a cool talent like you, Mizu-chan. I'm really not that great at anything…well, besides eating cake." She took another large bite for emphasis.

"I'm sure you'll find _something_ you love," Mizuko reassured her. "You just have to try out a few things, you know? Maybe you're a star athlete. Or a great writer! I'm sure when you find what you're good at, you'll be brilliant at it."

"But it won't be like you and you're singing," Runa sighed, poking at the cake with her fork. "I'm only mediocre at anything I do. A 'jack of all trades and master of none', if you will."

"I honestly don't think I'm that good at singing," Mizuko said, looking down. "Did you see the auditions before me? They were incredible! To think I have to compete with people like that if I want to get the part…"

"But you _want_ the part, don't you?"

"O-of course!" Mizuko nodded quickly. "Getting the part would be a dream come true!" Her gaze dropped. "I just sometimes wonder if it's out of my league…"

"It's not! The judges would have to be deaf to not give you the part." Runa looked up thoughtfully. "Although, maybe I can bribe the judges with cake..." Her eyes shifted outside the bakery window for a moment, and focused onto something unusual sitting on the sidewalk across the street. At first glance it appeared to be an ordinary cat; but it had strange white tendrils coming from its ears, ending in small golden hoops. It was staring directly at her. It was almost cute…except for its' eyes. They were bright red, and a bit unsettling. Another car drove by, and the cat creature was gone.

"…Runa? Earth to Runaaa…" Mizuko was waving her hand in front of her friend.

"O-oh! Sorry about that. I just thought I saw something…" she shook her head. "Anyways, what time do you sing tomorrow?"

"I think around 8 or so. I'll text you."

"Ok! I'll be there!" Runa finished off the remnants of the cake and returned the glass plate to the counter. As the two left the bakery, Runa noticed Mizuko's gaze had fallen again.

"What's up?" Runa asked worriedly, titling her head sideways so she could see her friend's face.

"O-oh! Nothing, I'm just…thinking…"

"'Bout what?"

"Well...the callbacks."

"You mean about how you're going to balance school work and acting when you get the part?" When Mizuko looked up in confusion, Runa grinning at her.

"You're _going _to get the part Mizuko. You're the best singer they've got. After the second round of callbacks, they'll realize it."

"I guess we'll see." Mizuko mustered a small smile in return, although she wasn't all that reassured. She'd never admit that to Runa, though, especially when her best friend was trying so hard to cheer her up. They parted ways at the intersection, returning to their houses for the evening. Runa thought about the exchange she'd just had with her friend. Mizuko hadn't seemed all that confident in her talent. She never was, but today she seemed particularly nervous.

_She's got a beautiful voice, so it's only natural she'll get the part._

_...Right?_

* * *

The following week, Runa sprinted out of her class at break to check the bulletin for the cast list. She stared for a moment, and then burst into a grin, pumping her fist in the air.

"YES! MIZUKO'S GOT IT!" She quickly glanced around to find her friend and tell her the good news. Her callback audition _had _been pretty great, although Mizuko insisted that she missed one of the higher notes. Her friend had been a nervous mess up until the announcement that the cast had been chosen, no matter how hard Runa had tried to console her. And now, it was her name scribbled beside the female lead on the casting list.

"Oh, Runa!" Runa recognized the voice in an instant and whirled around to meet the gaze of her best friend.

"MI-CHAAAN!" Runa pounced on her friend, causing the two of them to nearly topple over.

"Yougotityougotit YOU GOT IT!" she cheered.

"I know!" Mizuko replied, beaming. "I can't believe it! All your support must have really helped!" She gave Runa a wink. "Assuming you didn't just bribe the judges with cake, of course."

"Nope! You got it through talent and talent only!" Runa stopped mid-cheer and looked up at Mizuko in confusion.

"Wait, you already knew about it? _How_?! The results were put up during class!"

"O-oh! Well…" Mizuko looked off for a moment. "Er, I got an email notification earlier!"

"What, and you didn't tell your best friend?" Runa questioned. Mizuko opened her mouth to reply, but Runa suddenly pulled back, jokingly putting her hands on her hips.

"Ohhh, I see how it is! You wanted me to be surprised, huh? Honestly, Mizuko, I spent all of math class chewing on my nails over you; you could have atleast _hinted _that you already knew."

"Yeah, sorry..." Mizuko laughed nervously.

"But it's awesome that you got the part! Although, I totally knew you would."

"Didn't you just say you were chewing your nails over it in math?" Mizuko teased. Runa just stuck out her tongue at her. The two girls shared their first laugh in what felt like ages. And all jokes aside, Runa was just happy to see Mizuko no longer fretting over auditions.

But despite her happiness, there was also something..._off_ about her friend. Runa couldn't decide on what, but Mizuko seemed to have changed since the last time Runa saw her. It hadn't bothered Runa initially, but she couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty that crept into her since she met up with her friend. She leaned in, examine the singer closely.

"Hm? What is it?" Mizuko asked, noticing Runa was studying her.

"You seem...different," Runa said bluntly. "Changed your hairstyle, maybe?"

"...yeah, that's it," Mizuko shifted uncomfortably. "I was aiming for smaller curls. You know, so I match the part. The original actress in the show had crazy hair."

"Makes sense," Runa nodded, satisfied with the answer. Mizuko sighed in relief, hoping her friend hadn't noticed her initial discomfort. However, a feeling in her uniform pocket made her tense.

"Well, now we're going to have to worry about line memorization, huh?" Runa stated. "But don't worry, I'll help you as best I can! In fact, if you want to start today…" Runa stopped talking when she noticed Mizuko's expression. Her friend had her hand in her pocket, and she looked worried.

"Mizu-chan?" Runa asked curiously. "What's up?"

"N-nothing," Mizuko shook her head. "Sorry."

"Are you feeling ok? Do you want me to take you to the nurse's office?"

"N-no, I'll be fine. Just…I have to go do something. I should be back for our next class, but if I'm not, please apologize to the teacher."

"Oh…alright." Runa replied with uncertainty.

"Thanks. Let's go to bakery after school again, ok?" Mizuko gave her a wan smile before turning and running off down the hall. Runa watched her best friend go in confusion.

_What's gotten in her? _Runa wondered. She should be ecstatic about getting the part, but before she ran off, she seemed genuinely concerned about something.

_Is she having family troubles? Did a boy ask her out?_ Something was definitely going in, Runa was sure of it.

_And furthermore, why won't she tell me?_


	3. We can work together

Special thanks to Haruhi for the fabulous cover image of Ryubey!

Chapter 3: We can work together

"The 'girl with the voice of the dove', huh?" a purple-haired girl repeated as she grabbed a dumpling with her chopsticks.

"That's right," the red rabbit-like creature sitting atop the table across from her confirmed. "I searched the nearby town of Mitakihara, but I had no luck. That's why I came here. Do you know of who this could be, Hana?"

"Hm…do you think she was the first magical girl you ever contracted?" Hana wondered, chewing thoughtfully.

"I don't know," Ryubey confessed. "That might be the case. From my memory, you are the third magical girl I've contracted. There may have been some before that, but I can't remember them."

"So that's a possibility. What about that scarf of yours? Where'd you get it from?"

"Again, I don't remember." Ryubey sighed. "Maybe I was born with it. Or maybe one of the girls I contracted gave it to me."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to work together to figure this out! I'm sure the answer will show up at some point."

"Yeah." Ryubey perked up slightly. "We can work together..."

"Here." Hana picked up another dumpling and fed it to the Incubator. It made an expression that the girl assumed was contentment.

"Ah, I just remembered I've got kendo practice early tomorrow morning." Hana looked up thoughtfully. "I don't think it will interfere with my witch hunting schedule, but let me know if anything serious comes up."

"Certainly. By the way, how did your tournament go?" Ryubey asked her, cleaning leftover soy sauce off its face.

"Oh! It was awesome!" Hana grinned broadly. "You should have seen the look on the boys' faces when I kicked their butts! I won, just like you said I would!"

"Nice work." Ryubey closed its eyes and gave a tiny smile. It was genuinely proud of its charge. "Since you wished to be the strongest kendo practioner in your school, I knew that would be the case. Good job."

"Thanks! Although, I'm kinda curious…what happened to the other two?" Hana asked. "Magical girls, I mean." Ryubey's gaze dropped.

"Both had missteps in their fight against a witch. Neither were the magical girl I was looking for, but I still miss them. It's a horribly dangerous job, but it's how our species keeps Entropy under control."

"I'll bet," the girl agreed. "I mean, I haven't even taken on my first witch yet. But hey, in my opinion, it's totally worth it for a wish. And in theory, now I'm immortal! I find that awesome!"

"Yeah," Ryubey replied, its ears drooping further. "Immortal…"

Hana glanced up at the wall of the café, where a series of newspaper clippings were posted.

"It's really sad, about those two girls," she commented.

"Which two girls?" Ryubey asked, returning to its monotone state.

"The underclassmen, just a grade below me. A tall girl with minty hair, and that shorter girl who followed her around. Apparently, they were both killed in some sort of freak accident. It was quite a shock to the school." Ryubey felt the slightest tug in its chest, like these girls were important to it somehow. But its fleeting memory wouldn't cooperate.

"Scary stuff, huh? I hope it didn't have to do with a witch." Hana quickly polished off her plate of dumplings. "Well, should we be off?" she asked, standing up and stretching.

"Definitely." Ryubey climbed onto her shoulder. "Let's-" Suddenly, it's ear perked up slightly. "Hold on…"

"What's up?"

"I think…there's a witch," Ryubey determined. "A few streets from here."

"Wait, seriously?" Hana tensed up.

"Yes. And it's a powerful one. Perhaps you should wait until you face an easier witch before trying to take it on."

"No way!" Hana said defiantly. "And let it kill a bunch of people? I wouldn't be fulfilling my duty as a magical girl to let it just destroy everything!"

"...Very well," Ryubey nodded, ignoring the uncomfortable weight of hesitation in its chest. "Let's go."


	4. I will protect you

In which Mizuko's secret is revealed, Runa starts having doubts, and I pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock's _The Birds_. A note on timing: Runa and Mizuko's story takes place before the start of the series.

Chapter 4: I will protect you

"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well."

It was the third time that week that Mizuko had excused herself from class. She had the same look of desperation on her face each time. Runa watched worriedly from her desk across the classroom.

_I'm gonna figure out what's going on, _she resolved, standing up. She was incredibly lucky that the nurse's aid was out that day.

"I'll take her to the nurse's," Runa volunteered. Mizuko shot her a concerned look.

"Very well, Runa," the teacher agreed. Runa dipped her head gratefully before existing the class with Mizuko.

In the hallway, Runa reached up and grabbed her shoulders, forcing the taller girl to look down.

"Mizu-chan, _what's going on_?" she demanded. "This is the _third_ time you've left the class sick. Also, you were late for rehearsal yesterday, and you won't answer my texts. What's up?"

"It doesn't concern you, Runa," Mizuko muttered, glancing away. Runa glared for a moment, before softening her expression.

"I'm just worried," she told her. "You're not yourself, Mizuko. Something's bothering you, I can tell."

"I really don't want to involve you," Mizuko said. "It's just…I have a new job."

"You got a job?" Runa titled her head, confused as to how that was bad news. "Wait, that's awesome, Mizuko! That you landed a job in high school, I mean!"

"No, it's not like that." Mizuko shook her head. "This job is different than what you're thinking. It's…dangerous, ok? I want to keep you safe, and in order to do that I can't tell you what it is."

"Dangerous? What do you mean?" Runa prompted. But Mizuko stepped away from her friend.

"Just let me take care of it." She offered Runa a weak smile. "I'm sorry I haven't been answering your texts, I've just been really busy. If you'd like, we can go to the bakery together after rehearsal tomorrow, ok? I can help you with your chem homework, and you can help me with line memorization." Runa also took a step back.

"And I thought I was your best friend…" she mumbled, staring at the ground. Mizuko's eyes widened, looking like she wanted to protest. The voice that responded, however, was in Runa's head.

_You _are_, Runa! You are my very best friend, which is why I can't tell you about what's been going on. _It was Runa's turn to be shocked. She stumbled back, shaking her head.

"What was that?!" she asked aloud.

_Trust me. Please? _Runa stared at her friend incredulously. The voice in her head was Mizuko's, but the girl across from her hadn't moved her mouth once. Runa swallowed roughly, and managed a nod.

_Thanks. _Mizuko stepped forward for a moment and gave Runa a fleeting hug. Runa didn't have time to reply, as she watched Mizuko vanish down the hallway. She returned to the classroom in silence, her head pounding from her experience.

"Ok, class, I'd like you to all pick a partner for this next assignment," the teacher announced. The students paired up instantly. And just like how it'd been before she'd met her best friend, Runa was the odd one out.

"Mizu-chan…" she muttered offhandedly, sinking into her seat.

"Does anyone want to take Runa into their group?" the teacher asked, noticing the girl lacked a partner. No one volunteered, and Runa sunk further in her chair.

"Very well. Runa, come join this group," he instructed, pulling up a chair. The other girls didn't seem too pleased, but took her in nonetheless. Runa sat down awkwardly as they discussed, trying to make herself as small as possible. It was the longest class period Runa ever had to suffer through.

The walk home from school was, unsurprisingly, a lonely one. Runa kept her eyes glued to the pavement, her bag slouching off her back.

"It's here, right?" Her best friend's hushed voice made Runa glance up. Sure enough, the minty-haired girl was examining a wall closely, alongside the white creature Runa had seen outside of the bakery window.

"That's right," the white creature replied. "I'll leave you to it." It walked off, tail billowing in the gentle breeze. Mizuko glanced in both directions quickly, before walking straight into the wall. She vanished. Runa instinctively rubbed her eyes.

_What the…? _She hesitantly approached the building wall Mizuko had vanished into. It looked in every way like an ordinary brick wall. Hesitantly, she pressed her hand against the brick. It sunk straight through, as though the wall was made of gelatin. She retracted her arm, staring at the brick in bewilderment.

"Mizuko?" she asked the wall, earning an odd stare from a passing couple. She didn't get a response. She thought back to her conversation with her best friend at school. Mizuko told her to trust her…right before she abandoned her, and left Runa to be partnered with those awful girls. Runa shook her head.

_Fine. If you're not gonna tell me about your job, I'm gonna find out myself!_

Runa backed up and took a quick glance around to see if anyone was watching. Then, without considering the consequences, she dashed forward and dove straight through the wall portal.

When she emerged, she was on her back, staring up at an orange sky. Pulling herself into a sitting position, she realized she was in an open field. Except the grass was blue, and the soil beneath a dark crimson. Mizuko was nowhere in sight.

A sudden, ear-piercing squawk made her glance upwards. Five crow-like birds were circling above her head. Looking closer, she realized the crows didn't seem to have faces. With another squawk, the birds dove at their prey in a straight, uniform life. Runa screamed, rolling out of the way just in time as their beaks lodged into the soil. Eyes wide in horror, she scrambled to her feet and began running through the blue grass, searching for the wall that had brought her. But the field was practically endless, and the wall had seemingly vanished. The crows continued to dive at her, pulling at her hair and ripping off pieces of her school uniform. One managed to nick the side of her neck, leaving a fresh wound. She winced, but continued her panicked sprint through the nightmarish field.

"M-Mizuko!" she called weakly, her voice breaking. Her legs were becoming numb from running. Her stamina was awful, as she'd discovered when she tried out for the track team as a first-year. Just as she began to feel lightheaded, a silhouette emerged in front of her.

_Mizuko…?_ she wondered hopefully. She approached it, but froze when she realized the towering silhouette was not her best friend. In fact, it wasn't even human. From what she could see, it was a thin, badly deformed scarecrow. It tilted back and forth on its post in a hypnotic, pendulum-like sway. It's arms were covered with the faceless crows.

Runa was too terrified to move. All she could do was stare at the scarecrow before her, moving her head slightly with the swinging motion, almost in a trance.

_It must feel soooo awful,_ the scarecrow seemed to be speaking to her. It's voice drawled in time with its swaying. _To be abandoned by your one and only friend. _

"M-Mizu-chan didn't abandon me," Runa muttered, although she felt doubt begin to trickle into her mind. The wound on her neck was burning.

_Left all alone, like spoiling roadkill… _the scarecrow continued, it's voice laced with mock-sympathy. _To be pecked and pulled apart by birds…_

"Alone…" Runa mumbled. She envisioned her classroom, filled with faceless crows, all staring at her hungrily as she was assigned to join a group of them.

She took a hesitant step towards the scarecrow.

"RUNA!" The familiar voice snapped her out of her trance. The crows on the scarecrow's arms squawked and scattered into the air. Runa, realizing she was their target, screamed and crouched as low as she could into the blue grass.

It all happened in a flash. She stayed down, hoping her life would end in the quickest manner possible. Then, something landed in front of her. She peaked up, eyes widening in awe of the sight. It was Mizuko…but in something that looked like a Halloween costume. Her frock was a blend of turquoise and chocolate brown thread, and her hair was held halfway up with pins. In her hands appeared to be some type of harp. The only part of the outfit that didn't match the rest was a blue scarf around her neck, where a clover-shaped gem was pinned.

"Stay behind me, Runa," she whispered to her friend through gritted teeth. "I'll protect you."

"Mizuko, what-" Runa began, but her words were cut short as the crows dove straight for the minty-haired girl. Runa shut her eyes, not wanting to see her best friend perish. But then she heard a sweet melody, and opened her eyes in time to see a glowing yellow ring wipe out all the crows surrounding Mizuko. She plucked the strings of her harp again, emitting another pulsing ring of yellow that knocked the second wave of crows out of the sky. Then she walked towards the scarecrow.

"This is the end of you, witch," she hissed through clenched teeth. "_No one _tries to hurt my best friend and gets away with it." She held onto the strings of her harp for an extended length of time. Then, she gave them a sharp, resounding pluck. A seemingly endless ripple of golden rings emerged from her harp. Runa watched in wonder as the scarecrow was hit by each, slouching further with each wave. By the end of it, the post was empty and all that was left of the scarecrow was a pile of moldy straw. Suddenly, the field disappeared. Runa was back outside the brick building with Mizuko, with no evidence the field had ever been there. In place of the straw was a small black orb.

"She was weaker than I thought," Mizuko muttered, plucking the orb from the ground. "Still, leaving a witch on it's own like that could result in all kinds of trouble."

"M-Mizu-chan…" Runa managed, still crouched on the ground. Mizuko was at her side in an instant.

"Promise me you'll _never _enter a witch's barrier like that again, ok?" Her tone was strict, although her eyes were filled with concern. "You had me really worried!" Runa managed a nod, but all that came from her voice was a pathetic whimper. She was trembling like a leaf. Mizuko's expression softened, and she gently embraced her friend.

"It's ok," she comforted her. "It's all over now…you're safe, I promise…" She waited for Runa to stop shaking before releasing her.

"How's that witch kiss?" she asked, checking the wound on Runa's neck. "Oh, it's already starting to fade. Thank goodness." She helped her friend to her feet.

"Come on, let's go to my house. I'll make you some hot tea, ok? My parents are out, it'll be just you and me." Runa could only nod again.

* * *

Runa sipped her steaming mug of tea, taking comfort in the warmth emanating into her hands from the cup. She was sitting at Mizuko's table, a cotton blanket draped over her shoulders. She was still shaken by the whole ordeal, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when she first escaped the barrier. Mizuko sat across from Runa, watching her carefully.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked with a wan smile. Runa nodded.

"Yeah." She stared into her mug. "Mizu-chan…" she started. "This…this new job you have…"

"Yeah, I guess you figured out my secret, huh?" She laughed sheepishly. "Honestly, I wanted to keep you out of it, to avoid what happened this afternoon. Although I should have known your stubbornness would lead you to find out some day." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small, golden capsule. It had a glowing turquoise core. "This is a soul gem," she explained to Runa. "It's proof that…well, that I'm a magical girl."

"A magical girl?" Runa echoed, taking another gulp of her tea. "Like in those animes we used to watch when we were younger?"

"Kinda," Mizuko said. "Anyways, I took this job in exchange for a wish." Runa stopped mid-sip.

"A wish?" she wondered. "What did you...wait…" The realization hit her like one of the bricks from the wall-portal. "D-did you wish that you'd-"

"Yeah," Mizuko nodded, understanding what Runa was getting it. "I'm really sorry for lying to you, Runa. But I was really freaked out that I wouldn't get the part! And then Kyubey showed up in my window while I was practicing, and it told me I could have the part if I-"

"Wait, who?"

"Kyubey. A cute little cat-like creature that turns ordinary girls like me into magical girls."

"Oh." Runa instantly thought about the white creature with the big tail. Although she wouldn't use the word 'cute' to describe it. In fact, to her, it was a bit creepy.

"Anyways, that scarecrow monster you saw was a witch. The crows were her familiars, and the field was her barrier. It's my job, as a magical girl, to hunt down these witches before they can hurt anyone."

"I see." Runa nodded. "So how long do you have to hunt witches?"

"I'm not sure," Mizuko admitted. "Kyubey never told me. A year, maybe?"

"And you're not at all concerned that your new job will get in the way of rehearsal?"

"I mean, I guess a little. But I've made it to rehearsal every day now, and have you heard my voice? Ever since I made that wish, it's been so beautiful!"

"It was always beautiful, even before the wish…" Runa muttered. Mizuko didn't hear her.

"Anyways, I guess now that you know, you can understand why I've had to leave class," Mizuko went on, collecting their empty mugs and putting them in the sink. "I can use my soul gem to sense nearby witches. Unfortunately, they have a habit of showing up during class."

"The teacher is going to get suspicious," Runa pointed out.

"Then I'll try and hunt them before class starts," Mizuko determined. "No harm in that, right?"

"I guess." Runa removed the blanket and hopped off the chair. "I probably should head home. My homework isn't going to finish itself, after all!" She gave a forced laugh.

"Of course." Mizuko walked her to the door. "Wanna meet at the bakery tomorrow after rehearsal?"

"Alright." Runa managed a smile. "See you tomorrow, then." Mizuko stepped forward and gave her a hug.

"Call me if you ever become worried, alright?" she whispered. "I will protect you. That's my job as a magical girl." Runa hesitantly returned the hug.

"Will do," she muttered. But even in the embrace, she couldn't shake the feeling that Mizuko really had changed since the morning her part was announced. And that her friend would never be the same again.

_Is this…is this even Mizuko I'm hugging right now?_


	5. A burden to our race

We're steadily approaching the last few chapters; the end is nigh! As we near the conclusion, I'm going to drop another hint: technically speaking, Ryubey has been in every chapter up to this point. Feel free to go back and look around for clues (although I'm not saying you should).

Chapter 5: A burden to our race

"I've tried to show respect for your unfortunate illness, but all you've been doing is making a fool of yourself." The two Incubators stood in an empty alleyway. The white one was speaking to what appeared to be its double, except for the red fur and blue scarf.

"You have successfully contracted six magical girls in the last week. And all six of them perished on their first witch hunt. This is not considered a successful harvest. I'm afraid I cannot continue to allow this waste of useful energy." Kyubey swished its tail. "Of course, it is hardly the fault of the magical girls for their failure in this case. It has come to my attention that you have been allowing them to keep their souls inside their bodies after contracting."

"Yes," Ryubey replied simply. Kyubey closed its eyes and shook his head.

"This is where you go wrong. The purpose of a soul gem is to protect the magical girl when they fight witches. By leaving it attached to their body, they will hardly survive a familiar's attack much less a witch's. Why have you not been removing their souls as I do? I am curious to hear your logic behind this."

"Because it is upsetting for them," Ryubey said, meeting its blank stare with Kyubey's. "They do not wish to turn their bodies into shells. It makes them feel lifeless."

"I'm afraid I don't follow your logic at all," Kyubey told it. "It appears as though you are basing your tactics on emotional gain. Have you not noticed that it is emotion which ultimately kills them? It's alright to allow it after a few witch hunts, so that they may become witches and we can harvest their energy, but allowing them to succumb so quickly yields nothing for the universe." Ryubey did not reply.

"Furthermore, I've noticed you have become quite close with the girls. I let mine feed me and offer me rides, but this is just for convenience sake. You, on the other hand, become so attached that I have observed you throw yourself in front of a witch for one. In fact, you seem to be making the girls your pets." Kyubey swished its tail again. "Do you know why humans eat cattle, but do not eat their cats and dogs? Its because cats and dogs are their pets, and considered beloved. We need magical girls as fodder against Entropy. We do not need them to have worth to us outside of their energy potential. In fact, affection is one of the greatest weaknesses I have observed in the human race."

"I'm not sure I believe that," Ryubey spoke up. Its gaze was blank, but their seemed to be a hidden feeling in its otherwise monotone voice. "It is true that as an Incubator, I do not understand love. But that does make it useless."

"Yet another mistake on your part." Kyubey shook its head again. "Pay attention to the figures. Every one of your magical girls have died. Only some of mine have died, the rest have become witches. As a member of our species I have acquired far more energy for the universe then you have. Not only have you produced little energy, but you've killed more girls than I do, Ruby Incubator." There was silence for a moment. Ryubey stared at the other Incubator. Small beads of water formed at the corners of Ryubey's blank eyes and rolled down its cheek. Kyubey shook his head.

"There is liquid coming from your eyes again. It is clear to me that you are mentally disturbed. I have tried to help, but you don't seem to be listening. Honestly, I thought you'd be much more useful this way, but you've just been a nuisance."

"Where is she?" Ryubey suddenly asked, brushing the tears off its face with a paw.

"Whom?"

"The girl with the voice of a dove." Kyubey titled its head.

"You have already asked me this. I do not know of the girl you speak. Why is it you wish to see her?"

"I am not certain," Ryubey admitted quietly. "I have wanted to see her since I was born. She is important."

"Well, it's a shame you don't remember her," Kyubey stated bluntly. "Perhaps if you were not one of my kind but a magical girl, I could grant this wish of yours. Too bad." Kyubey's lips crinkled upwards in a smile. "Well, I will now go to contract other magical girls. Because of your tragic ailment, you should probably cease your duties for now. You are a burden to our race. You may search for this girl for all eternity if you wish, but do not waste any more magical girls." Ryubey watched its double walk out of the alley without another word. An uncomfortable heaviness filled Ryubey's chest again, but it resisted the urge to let itself cry.

_It's true, though._ _They've all died because of me. _Ryubey had a distinct memory of when Hana got her arm broken in the brutal fight against the witch. Ryubey had dashed in front of her, hoping to serve as a distraction to the witch, and was "killed". But when Ryubey regained conscious, it was looking at an old and wilted version of its body, lying beside a dead magical girl. That was when Ryubey first learned it couldn't die.

So death wasn't an option. And Kyubey didn't want it to contract other girls. Initially, Ryubey didn't want to contract them anyway. But it had gotten so lonely…

Now, it would be alone forever.

And it would never find the girl with the voice of a dove.


	6. Lies

Second to last chapter, not counting the epilogue. Not much to say here, I'll just stand aside and let you read on.

Chapter 6: Lies

Despite Mizuko's initial warning, Runa found herself tagging along on witch hunts. Aside from the occasional bump or bruise, she was never too hurt in the ensuing brawl between magical girl and witch. Afterwards, the pair always went to the bakery for cake, and Runa would help Mizuko practice her lines and song lyrics for the performance.

It was almost as if life was back to normal, except that Mizuko was a lot busier than she used to be. Runa convinced herself that she didn't mind, though. At least, not consciously.

They were at the bakery again. Runa had a slice of strawberry shortcake in front of her, completely untouched aside from a missing strawberry. She rolled the strawberry on the plate around with her fork, staring at it with a blank expression.

"Runa?" Mizuko's voice made her look up. Her friend was watching her closely, concern in her gaze.

"What's up?" Runa asked, offering a weak smile.

"You haven't touched your cake…" she started. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Runa insisted. "Just…I have a lot on my mind. I guess I'm not that hungry."

"Not hungry for cake?" Mizuko raised an eyebrow. "That's not the Runa I know. You don't feel sick, do you? You…" Her eyes widened. "Hold on, you didn't…_contract_, did you?!"

"N-no, nothing like that!" Runa shook her head. "I haven't even seen Kyubey!"

"Ok…" Mizuko frowned. Runa hadn't looked her in the eyes once the whole time. In fact, she'd been acting this way in class, too. Runa was usually full of energy, so to see her down like this was unsettling for Mizuko.

Runa set down her fork. "Do you want my cake? I'm probably not going to eat it." Mizuko just stared at her best friend incredulously. Runa pushed the plate away and stood up. "I think I'm going to head home. I've got a bit of a headache." Mizuko stood up as well and grabbed her friend's wrist.

"Runa, wait." Runa didn't bother looking back.

"Are you free tonight?" Mizuko asked. Runa gave a shrug.

"Dunno. Why?"

"Let's have a sleepover. At my place. It's been a while since we've had one of those." Runa looked back at her friend, surprised at the suggestion.

"Don't you need to practice your lines?"

"The lines can wait." Mizuko insisted, giving her friend a small smile. "I'd rather spend time with my best friend."

"O-ok," Runa nodded, managing a smile in return. "Just text me when you want me to come and I'll head over." She broke free of Mizuko's grasp and left the bakery. She was happy to be able to see her best friend for an extended time. However, her thoughts were still haunted by the dream from the night before.

_It was just a dream_, she assured herself. But she hardly believed it.

* * *

The sleepover, at least before the actual sleeping part, went pretty well. They made rice balls for dinner, did their homework together, and had extra time to watch some anime. Runa fell asleep part way through, and Mizuko carried her to the futon beside her own bed. She then placed her soul gem on her nightstand and went to bed herself. The next few hours went by peacefully. But at around 2 AM, until Runa's dream returned.

"Mizu…ko…" Runa groaned, fidgeting in her sleep. "Mizu…no…come back…" Her friend on the bed awoke at hearing Runa's voice.

"Runa? What's wrong?" Mizuko asked with concern. She sat up and glanced over at her friend. Runa had beads of sweat on the corners of her face, and she was breathing heavily. Mizuko climbed off her bed and over to Runa, pressing her hand to Runa's forehead to check for a fever.

"NO! Mizuko!" Runa shot up in response to the contact.

"Runa? Runa, what's the matter?" Mizuko asked desperately. Runa stared at her friend in shock for a few moments, before completely breaking down into tears. She threw her arms around her friend.

"W-what? What's wrong, Runa?" Mizuko repeated, carefully returning her embrace.

"…dream…" she sobbed

"Bad dream? Can you tell me what happened?" Mizuko encouraged her.

"…witch…" Runa managed around shaky breathes.

"There was a witch in your dream?" Mizuko's heart filled with regret, thinking back to her last witch hunt which seemed to have thoroughly disturbed Runa. "Oh, Runa, I told you that tagging along with me would be scary…" But Runa shook her head, clinging to her friend even tighter.

"Y-you…"

"Hm? What's that, Runa?"

"Y-you…y-y-you were…" Runa burrowed her face further into Mizuko's top.

"I was what, Runa? Please tell me."

"A-a _witch_!" Mizuko paused her consoling for a moment.

"I was a witch?" she mumbled in confusion. Runa nodded miserably. Mizuko, realizing her silence on the matter was not helping, took to lightly stroking her hair.

"Now where did you get a ridiculous idea like that?" she whispered gently. "I'm no witch. I fight the witches, silly! And I make sure none of them can get to you, or anyone else."

"It felt…so r-real…" Runa muttered. Mizuko carefully pushed her back so she could look Runa in the eyes.

"But it wasn't." Her voice was firm, but gentle. "I know it was scary. But it' never happened! You're here, and you're with me…" For emphasis, Mizuko allowed herself to transform into her magical girl outfit. Runa wiped her eyes to take in the sight before her.

"See? I'm a magical girl, through and through." Runa nodded, starting to calm down. Mizuko smiled, before realizing something.

"This…isn't the first time you've had this dream, huh?" she asked. Runa's gaze dropped.

"I had it last night," she admitted, rubbing her eyes again.

"You should have told me, Runa. You shouldn't just keep something like that bottled up inside, or it will show up again."

"I know. I-I'm sorry, I know it was silly…"

"Yes, it was. And completely fake, so you don't have to worry." She pulled her friend back into the hug. Runa gave a shaky sigh, glancing over Mizuko's shoulder at the window. She froze at the sight of two small, blood-red eyes staring back at her. Kyubey was sitting on the windowsill, and appeared to looking straight at Runa. He leapt off his perch a moment later, vanishing into the early morning darkness.

"Runa?" Mizuko asked, jolting her from her trance. Runa pulled back.

"S-sorry, I got distracted for a moment."

"Yeah, you got really tense. I'm guessing you're still bothered by the dream, huh…" Mizuko looked up for a moment. "Oh, I've got it!" She reached behind her and began untying the blue scarf around her neck. She removed it and took off the soul gem.

"Mizuko, what-?" the smaller girl started, before Mizuko leaned forward and wrapped the scarf around Runa's neck.

"There!" Mizuko announced, sitting back proudly. Runa looked down at the scarf.

"What's this for?" she murmured, rubbing the silky fabric between her fingers.

"It's for you to feel safe," Mizuko explained. "So the next time you wake up from a dream like that, just look down at the scarf and remember that I'm a magical girl, who's job is to protect you and others from those nasty witches."

"T-thanks…" Runa was incredibly touched by Mizuko's sweet gesture. She made a mental promise to never remove it, if she could help it. Mizuko gave her friend a grin.

"Honestly, Runa, I'm a bit insulted you'd even suggest such a thing," she joked. "I mean, do I _really_ remind you of a witch? Like in that one American film, the old lady with the green skin?"

"A-ah, no, you don't!" Runa replied quickly. Mizuko smirked.

"You sure?" She cleared her throat, taking on her best impression of a raspy old women. "Just try calling me a witch again, Runa, just try! I'll get you, my pretty, and all your cake, too!" Runa gasped as Mizuko lunged forward, catching her in a glomp. The two girls fell over onto the futon, laughing.

"W-we have to be quieter or we'll wake up your parents!" Runa managed around her giggles.

"Nah, they can sleep through anything. Apparently, when I was a baby, they knew I'd be a singer because I'd wail all night long!" After a few more moments of laughter, the two caught their breath and sat back up. Runa, in her temporary bliss, had forgotten all about Kyubey outside the window.

"I suppose we should be off to bed," Mizuko concluded, transforming out of her magical girl outfit and into her pajamas.

"Yeah…" But despite having the scarf, Runa was still hesitant to fall back asleep. Mizuko noticed her hesitation.

"Still scared?" she asked. Runa looked away. She didn't want to seem selfish to Mizuko-she'd given her the scarf from her magical girl outfit, after all-but she was still worried the dream would find it's way back into her subconscious. Mizuko understood her non-verbal answer.

"Lie down, Runa." she suddenly told her. Runa, not sure what Mizuko was thinking of, slowly obliged. Her friend pulled the futon covers up over her. Runa stared up at the taller girl. She smiled, her minty curls glowing softly in the moonlight. "Now close your eyes. I'm going to sing you a lullaby." Runa immediately did as she was told, and a beautiful melody filled her ears. Mizuko's voice, soft as a dove's, lulled her into a dreamy state of conscious. Runa opened her eyes slightly and caught a glimpse of Mizuko's soul gem on her nightstand, glowing a healthy turquoise, before she completely drifted off.

For the night, at least, everything was ok.

* * *

_Lies._

That is all she had been fed. That's all Mizuko had been fed. Just lies.

It had happened so quickly. The day had been exactly two weeks after their sleepover. Mizuko had gone into the fight so confident, too. The witch with many whip-like arms, one of which grasped Mizuko's neck and and nearly strangled her to death. Kyubey, by some twist of fate, had been there to witness the event. Runa watched in horror as Mizuko managed to play her harp with trembling fingers and free herself, but not soon enough to save her throat from injury.

At the hospital, Mizuko learned her vocal chords had been damaged and she could no longer sing. Runa was confident that the magical girl healing power could fix them, but Kyubey coldly informed them that it was unlikely, since Mizuko's damaged vocal chords did not in any way affect or improve her ability to fight witches. That was also when Mizuko and Runa learned that her body was just a shell, and her soul now resided inside her soul gem. The information didn't help Mizuko's mental state. Still, Runa visited her best friend as often as she could, bringing video games, ice cream, and anything else she could think of to cheer Mizuko up.

"You'll heal in time for the show," Runa insisted stupidly. "Just give your throat a rest for now." Mizuko didn't respond. Runa also tried to get her to go fight witches, but Mizuko didn't want to leave her hospital bed. Perhaps she, too, believed that in some miraculous event, her throat would heal and she could perform her role in the musical. The role she'd given up her soul for.

Runa caught her trying, once; trying to sing, but only getting a mouthful of blood. Runa begged her to stop, but Mizuko was persistent until she started coughing up small beads of red. And Runa held her as she sobbed and sobbed, although she barely produced noise.

Over her shoulder on the bedside table, Runa noticed that her best friend's soul gem was filled with a dark, wispy substance.


	7. Birth of two

So this is basically the grande finale. Lots of dialogue, lots of action, and the two sides of the story will merge at the climax to reveal Ryubey's origins.

There WILL be one more chapter after this, however.

Also, when writing the witch/barrier for this chapter, I used this music piece for inspiration. Give it a listen if you'd like to get a better flavor of the barrier/have an idea of what the singing actually sounds like (as fanfiction won't let me post links, search "Carmen Opera Trance Club Mix" on youtube)

Chapter 7: Birth of Two

Mizuko didn't get better.

Runa never gave up hope, though. She brought Mizuko's script to the hospital and they rehearsed the non-singing lines. Runa purposefully said the other actors' lines in funny voices, which seemed to cheer Mizuko up, if only slightly.

But she still missed rehearsal after rehearsal, and ultimately, the second-best singer of the show's crew was promoted to the lead position in the musical.

After hearing the news, Runa noticed that Mizuko's soul gem had more black than turquoise pulsing from within. She didn't understand what that meant, but she knew it couldn't be good.

Runa prayed for her best friend, hoping that by some miracle her vocal chords could be fixed and she could reclaim her part.

Some miracle…

_Oh!_ The realization had hit her like a thousand ton brick building. _I could wish to heal her voice! _It was the day of the show, so if she could get Mizuko's voice fixed, than Mizuko could perform. Of course, that would require subjecting herself to the life of a magical girl, but Runa had nothing to lose. Mizuko was her closest friend. When the idea occurred to her, she got on her bike and pedaled as fast as she could to the hospital to tell Mizuko her solution.

_It'll be ok…it'll all be ok…_ she kept thinking as she parked her bike and entered the building. She rode the elevator up to the 5th floor (which took longer than usual, as all the visitors seemed to be coming at this time and had patients to see on each floor). Finally, Runa stepped into the hallway and down to the last room, where Mizuko was. The door was closed.

_It's alright, Mizu-chan, _Runa thought, hand hovering above the handle. _We can fix this. I have a solution. _She took a breath before grasping the handle and throwing open the door.

"Mizuko!" she called. "I just had a great idea! You-" Her words were cut short when she realized Mizuko wasn't in the room. Runa stared at the empty bed in confusion. On the pillow, a small piece of paper fluttered gently as an afternoon breeze came in from the window.

_Did she return home? Why didn't she tell me?_

"Mizuko…?" Runa slowly approached and picked up the note. It was short, but Runa recognized Mizuko's neat handwriting:

_I'm so sorry, Runa. You were the most precious friend I've ever had, and always will be. Love you._

_What is she talking about…? _Runa froze when she heard something. A faint, but persistent melody was coming from one of the walls of the room. Confused, she went up to it and pressed her ear to the side. All of a sudden, the wall melded into a gelatin-like consistency and she stumbled through it. She fell face-first onto a cold marble floor that was not a part of the hospital. She carefully pushed herself off the marble. Lining an elongated, curved hallway were a series of golden windows. Runa tensed.

_This is a witch's barrier._ She'd entered many since the day Mizuko saved her from the demented scarecrow. Mizuko must have gone to defeat this witch. Runa relaxed a bit and smiled.

_It's good to see she's back up on her feet again. _

Now, Runa just had to find her. "Mizuko?" she called hesitantly. There was no response. Assuming she must have gone ahead, Runa made her way down the hall, occasionally calling for her friend. She stayed on the lookout for minions or the witch itself, but the barrier appeared to be empty. The faint melody she'd heard in the hospital room grew louder as she progressed down the hallway.

Finally, she emerged into an open amphitheater. Runa blinked in confusion for a moment. It was almost identical to the theater at her school, except it was lined with red and gold carpeting. On the walls and the backs of some of the seats, the words "welcome" and "enjoy the show" were scribbled in a messy scrawl. And on the stage, a pair of red designer curtains were pulled together.

The melody she'd heard earlier filled her ears upon entry; it was foreign, but absolutely gorgeous. It was coming from somewhere behind the curtains.

Runa took a step forward into the aisle. Almost immediately, the whole amphitheater went dark and the melody stopped. The aisle lights flickered on, revealing a pair of figures standing in front of Runa. They were more like short humanoid cutouts, and one of their arms ended in a flashlight instead of a hand. Wordlessly, the figures grabbed her wrists and dragged her down the aisle to the front row, pushing her down into one of the chairs. Runa instantly spotted rows of blue figurines lining the railings and filling the balconies coming off the stage's proscenium arch. They had bows pinned into a headful of ringlet curls, and sat motionless with their hands clasped together. They hummed steadily.

"M-Mizuko!" Runa called out, becoming more and more unsettled by the moment. "Where are you?" The minions didn't seem hostile, but their blank gazes and methodical hum was very unsettling. She found herself beginning to tremble, looking around nervously for her best friend to show up and save her from this bizarre performance.

Suddenly, the voice behind the curtain resumed: a high-pitched operatic voice, singing in a language Runa didn't recognize. The blue minions began singing in time with the voice, swaying slightly in their position.

The singing intensified, the music swelled, and the red curtains parted. Runa could only stare, wide-eyed, at the source of the sweet voice. From a first glance, it appeared to be a large, turquoise, lumbering mass of some material; fog, or a kind of goo. On the top of the shape's head were two curved, blood red horns, and a few faded ringlet curls. Somewhere in the mass, Runa could also make out what appeared to be two masks. She couldn't believe that such a beautiful voice could come from such a grotesque mess.

"It finally happened, I see." Runa jolted at the eerily familiar voice beside her. She recognized the white, plush-like creature in an instant, sitting calmly in the chair beside her.

"K-Kyubey?"

"I could tell it was coming. Carmen has finally been born."

"Who's Carmen? K-Kyubey, what's going on? Where's Mizuko?!"

"Can you not tell?" Kyubey gestured its head at the monster. "That's her on stage. Although she is no longer Mizuko. She has fallen into despair and become a witch. Just like all the other magical girls, if they are not killed by witches themselves."

"Huh?" Runa stared at Kyubey, trying to process what it was saying. "W-what…do you…"

"You heard me. A magical girl is just the immature form of a witch. Just like how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, assuming it does not die beforehand."

_Magical girls are….wait. Magic, w-witches..._

Perhaps a normal person could have accepted that fate. But Runa was stubborn, and tenacious. That…_thing_ on stage was in no way her beloved best friend.

"You're lying." She turned in her seat to face Kyubey, meeting its blank, red-eyed stare.

"My species is incapable of lying," Kyubey replied simply. Runa glared at it for a moment, but as the shock began to settle in, she felt tears gathering in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting the awful rabbit-like creature sitting beside her to have the satisfaction of making her cry.

Just then, Carmen paused her singing and tilted her head down slightly, and for a moment Runa was convinced she was staring straight at her. But after a long gaze, Carmen lifted her head back up and resumed her operatic solo as though nothing had occurred.

"You're lucky," Kyubey stated. "It appears as though this witch does not intend to harm you. For now, at least."

"_Stop calling her a witch!_" Runa seethed. "My best friend is _not _a witch!"

"But you just admitted that the monster on stage is indeed your best friend." Kyubey pointed out innocently. Runa sat back in her seat, biting her lip so she wouldn't burst into more tears.

"Honestly, you humans are so strange," Kyubey sighed. "Can't you see that Mizuko finally received what she desired? Her vocal chords in her human body prevented her from singing. But now, she may sing as much as she likes." Runa didn't respond.

"Of course, she might have been able to mend them with her magic if she r_eally _wanted. Surely you remember I mentioned it was unlikely, since it didn't affect her ability to fight. Unlikely, yes, but not impossible. I personally doubt it, but you never know." It felt like Kyubey was rubbing salt into her already deep, fresh wounds.

"You _did_ lie," she muttered.

"No, I did not. I merely presented you with the facts, according to my experience. Besides, she would have fallen into despair at some point, if a witch didn't kill her. That's the magical girl way."

"Why…why are you so _mean_?" It felt like a stupid question to ask, but it was the first thing that came to Runa's mind.

"I do not understand your question," Kyubey replied. "I am not 'mean'. I am an Incubator, so I do not understand this concept of 'mean'. I speak in a way that is most efficient at harvesting energy for the universe. Perhaps you girls perceive it as mean because it provokes a negative emotional response from you. But the negative response is what's needed to promote the growth of curses and the birth of witches. And ultimately, assist in the battle against Entropy." Runa had no way to reply. In a sick, twisted way, it made sense. Was that menacing, condescending gaze of the Incubator really just an empty stare?

"W-why are you even here?" Runa's voice was grating from her strain of emotion.

"Oh, I'm awaiting the arrival of a magic girl from a nearby city. Mizuko was the only magical girl in your city, so I had to reach out in order to find someone to exterminate this witch. She's late, but she'll be here soon, and you can be free. In the meantime, why don't you just enjoy the performance?" It gestured at the stage. Carmen was in the middle of a particularly technical part of the foreign song, her voice at a much higher pitch than Mizuko's could ever go. The blue, singing minions provided seamless backup vocals to the witch's act.

"_Exterminate_?!" Runa stared in horror at the Incubator beside her. "S-she's coming to _k-kill_ Mizuko?"

"Once again, not Mizuko. Carmen, Mizuko's mature form."

"So how do I turn her back?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level. Knowing her time was limited, Runa was more desperate to bargain with Kyubey than be hostile to it.

"You can't," Kyubey said. "There is no way that I have observed of turning a witch back into a magical girl. So long as a magical girl has contracted with me, their soul is left to the fate of fading or becoming a witch in a short time."

"There's…there's nothing I can do?" Runa finally allowed the tears from earlier to leave her eyes. Kyubey didn't react to her show of emotion.

"Well, there are a couple of things you could do. You could aggravate the witch, getting yourself killed in the process. Or you could sit here and wait until the magical girl comes."

"I-I…" Runa glanced at the monster on the stage again, and a swarm of memories filled her mind; meeting Mizuko for the first time, convincing her friend to eat cake and later being blamed for her voice being affected, failing miserably at performing karaoke with her at the arcade but having fun all the same, watching her audition for the lead role in a theater so strikingly similar to this one. Runa subconsciously touched the blue scarf around her neck.

This fate that Kyubey spoke of…Runa wasn't going to sit back and allow it to happen. She was much too stubborn for that.

"No…NO!" Runa shook her head, sending her tears left and right. "I-I can't…I can't just leave her! I have to bring her back! I _need_ to bring her back!"

"Well, if you _really_ want, you could form a contract with me and make a wish," Kyubey explained as it began to clean its face. "I know you've seen me quite a bit with Mizuko before this meeting today. Likewise, I've seen you quite a few times." It looked up at her. "Do you want to know why I've never tried to contract you, Runa Chiyoko?" Runa ignored the fact it somehow knew her last name.

"W-why?"

"Because there were much better candidates out there. Your friend Mizuko was one of them." Kyubey shook his head. "I don't mean this to be offensive, but I have a good sense of magical girl potential, and yours has been subpar from the start. Much like your abilities, or lack thereof, in other fields."

"B-but…during the sleepover…"

"I wasn't looking at you, I was looking at your friend's soul gem to see if it had a curse yet. I've never been interested in you, Runa. But if you want to contract with me, I won't refuse your request. Your transformation and downfall will nonetheless assist in the battle against Entropy, even if you're participation is equivalent to a grain of sand in the desert." The truth in its words stung. But if there was only one thing that Runa was good at, it was tenacity.

"…Ok." Runa nodded with determination. "I'll do it. If it's the only way to save Mizuko…I'll form a contract with you, Kyubey."

"Very well." Kyubey stood up and gave a lazy stretch. "What's your wish?"

"Um…" Runa thought about what she could possibly wish for to save her friend. "I suppose I could wish for her voice back…" Runa shook her head. "But that won't do any good. Her soul is no longer in her body."

"This is true. Although it would have been interesting to see your reaction when you learned your only wish mended the vocal chords of a dead corpse. You'd become a witch in an instant, I bet."

Runa stared incredulously at the Incubator, trying to decide if that was some sort of twisted joke. But Kyubey stared back, without even a hint of amusement in its blank gaze.

Suddenly, two new voices interrupted Runa's thinking. She turned to see a young human couple only slightly older than herself, glancing around the barrier in confusion. She was almost relieved to see other humans in the barrier she was trapped in. But she was also confused as to how they got in.

"Where are we?" the girl asked, huddling closer to her boyfriend.

"I don't-ahh!" The flashlight familiars seized the couple and dragged them into a pair of seats.

"See, this is what happens when magical girls take their time in slaying a witch," Kyubey sighed, half to himself. "Humans can get lost and enter the barriers." Runa watched the couple exchange a confused glance before noticing the monster on stage. The girl shrieked and hid her face in her boyfriend's shoulder. The boy's eyes were widened in horror.

"W-what the hell is that?!"

"I w-want to leave!" The girl wailed into his shoulder.

"Oh, I don't think they should do that," Kyubey commented. The boy, unaware of Runa or Kyubey's presence on the other side of the theater, quickly stood up with his girlfriend and began to briskly walk back up the aisle. The flashlight familiars leapt up in alarm. On stage, the singing stopped. Carmen was watching the couple leave her performance.

Her entire form appeared to be trembling.

Suddenly, the witch began to wail, her beautiful voice from before replaced by a screechy, ear-piercing cry. Her minions joined in the wailing. Runa immediately covered her ears, wincing at the noise. The couple screamed and dashed out of the theatre. The flashlight minions followed, and Runa could hear the sound of shattering glass from the hallway.

"They're as good as dead, now," Kyubey concluded. "This is the witch of insecurity, after all. She becomes very distressed if her audience decides they don't like her singing. Hopefully the magical girl arrives soon, or you'll completely lose your hearing to the noise." Runa shook her head to clear it, the awful shrieking making her feel dizzy. She had to decide on a wish to bring Mizuko back as soon as possible.

But Runa didn't just want Mizuko back. She wanted her _best friend _back. The pre-magical girl Mizuko. Before she met Kyubey, and got the part in the musical. All of her fondest memories of Mizuko were before she contracted. She didn't care what the Incubator said: the ghoulish, wailing ooze monster on the stage was _not _her best friend.

I_ could wish to break the contract Mizuko formed with Kyubey in the first place._

Then Mizuko would no longer be a magical girl. It would be as though none of this even happened. And they could go back to how their life used to be: walking to school together, partnering up for projects, going to the bakery, eating strawberry shortcake…Of course Runa would have to fight witches, but she'd do it, if only to make her closest friend human again.

"I know what I want to wish for!" Runa told the Incubator. Her expression was fierce and determined.

"You'll have to speak up," Kyubey replied, nodding towards the witch. "I can hardly hear you over all the noise."

"I wish I had the power to break magical girl contracts!" Runa told it, but her voice still drowned out by the incessant howling. Kyubey blinked.

"What an interesting wish. With interesting consequences, but I'll grant it nonetheless." It closed its eyes and began to glow.

_What does he mean? _Runa suddenly gasped, feeling a sudden sharp tug in her chest.

_You are a girl of firsts, Runa._ Kyubey spoke to her telepathically as he maneuvered her soul out of her body. _I've never had someone wish to have the power to make contracts before. That was quite bold of you._

_That's not what I said! _Runa thought through clenched teeth. A glowing, strawberry-red orb hovered just in front of her chest.

_Really? That's what I heard. If you had meant to say 'break' contracts, then consider yourself very lucky: you are far too weak to achieve such a wish, so it likely would have ended in disaster for you. Anyways, the contract has been complete, and your wish will be granted._ His lips turned upwards slightly in a smirk. _Now, accept your destiny, Ruby Incubator!_

Suddenly, the glowing orb darted back into her chest, sending a burning sensation throughout her ribcage. The golden capsule that had just formed in front of her, now rendered hollow, fell to the floor with a dull _clank_. And Runa's entire form began to squish and meld, as though she were made of clay.

The barrier blurred together, and Runa felt her thoughts slip away as though coated in oil. Although Runa didn't know what becoming a magical girl was like, she could tell something was horribly off.

_This isn't suppose to happen! Something went wrong! Kyub- _

Suddenly, Runa was observing a scene. It was like watching a movie in a theater. A girl with red hair, much darker than Runa's, barged into the theatre. Between her teeth was what appeared to be a half-eaten pocky stick. Meanwhile, the last of Runa's memories faded and she began to shrink in size.

"Ah, you've finally come." Kyubey nodded in approval to the girl.

"Enough of this crap," the crimson-haired magical girl muttered through clenched teeth. "Your wailing is making my ears bleed. You're as good as dead, witch!" It was as though a cage had been placed over Runa's mind, locking her conscious away. Runa saw the girl charging forward, spear in hand, at the horned blob on the stage. Oddly enough, Runa didn't feel remorse. In fact, she wasn't even sure what to feel. Her mind was hollow. The blob and the girl didn't really mean anything. It was like watching two ants wrestle over a lump of sugar.

Then the scene faded away, as though the curtains had been pulled in the middle of the show.

The two were suddenly outside, atop the roof of a house.

"Interesting." Kyubey spoke up from somewhere nearby. It was talking to a small red creature wearing a light blur scarf. "I didn't know Incubators could reproduce that way. Still, I saved you a lot of trouble." Its usually monotone voice had a hint of intrigue in it.

"Who…who am I?" the red creature asked blankly.

"Who are you?" Kyubey titled his head. "You're an Incubator, of course. Your job is to contract potential candidates into becoming magical girls."

"That's right…" the creature nodded. That made sense. That was the job of all Incubators.

"Do I have a name?" the creature questioned.

"Of course you do. Every Incubator has a name. You are the Ruby Incubator: Ryubey. Remember that."

_Ryubey…_

"I'm looking for someone," Ryubey suddenly stated. "A girl…a magical girl. With a very sweet voice. Like the voice of a dove."

"I do not know of such a name," Kyubey replied bluntly.

"What is this?" Ryubey picked up the empty golden capsule laying beside it with a paw. "Whose soul gem is this?"

"Oh, that is no one's soul gem. That just excess from a wish," Kyubey explained. "It's relatively worthless now. Discard it if you want."

Ryubey didn't know what to make of an empty Soul Gem, but tucked the capsule into its scarf anyway. Kyubey stood up.

"Well, I'm off to contract more magical girls. You should work to fill up your quota, too."

"Yes…" Ryubey flicked it's large, billowing red tail. "I will get to it immediately."

"Great." Kyubey's red eyes glimmered in the moonlight. "Contract as many as you can. Entropy won't fight off itself, after all." Ryubey watched as it's comrade leapt from the roof, then stared at the city stretched before it.

"To fight against Entropy, I'll need to contract magical girls." But still, something felt incorrect to Ryubey. It felt an uncomfortable, sticky heaviness in its chest. It was profoundly disturbing to Ryubey.

"Surely I'm not sick?" It put a paw to its forehead. Somehow, it couldn't recall how it had gotten to this roof with the other Incubator. And most importantly, it had a blurry image of a girl in its mind. A magical girl of great importance.

_A girl with the voice of a dove…_

_Yes. I will find you. I must. It's…it's my duty._


	8. Epilogue

So here's the epilogue/final chapter of this story! Let's get right to it.

Epilogue/ The "Happy Ending"

Ryubey curled up in a tight little ball, unable to stop the weak tremble that coursed through its body. It had built itself a nest out of loose straw and newspaper clippings, but that barely provided any warmth from the dark clouds covering the town. There must have been an awful windstorm in a nearby city.

It weakly pulled out the small egg-shaped capsule from its scarf. As usual, the gem was completely hollow.

_Like me. _Ryubey wished it understood the meaning of the gem. And why it couldn't think the way Kyubey and other Incubators did.

_And I can't die… _it thought miserably. _I live forever…I watch the suffering of these girls forever…_Furthermore, it had lost all hope in locating the one magical girl it really cared about. Its only guiding light, and the source of its tenacity: the girl with the voice of a dove…

_This must be how it feels…becoming a witch…_Ryubey thought. But unlike the girls, there was nowhere to go from here. Falling into despair meant nothing to an Incubator like it. It would feel this way for the rest of time. Indestructible, and so, so lonely…

_It's ok. _Ryubey's eyes flickered open at the sound of a new voice.

_What's this? _The Incubator clambered to its paws when it realized its setting had changed. It was suffused in a pink, mellow light.

_It's alright now, Ruby Incubator,_ the soft, warm voice from a moment ago spoke. _You don't have to suffer…not anymore._

"Who are you?" Ryubey asked blankly. Suddenly, a girl dressed in pink materialized in front of Ryubey. She didn't look familiar, although her outfit suggested she was a magical girl. The girl smiled.

"My name isn't important," she whispered. "But I'd like to show you something." At the conclusion of her words, the pink around them vanished and they appeared in a school setting. Ryubey recognized a timid girl with mousy brown hair in an instant.

"T-that's…" Ryubey small eyes widened slightly. "I know that girl! That's Akari! She was my very first contract. She was a really shy girl, and wanted to be asked on a date by the boy she liked…I granted her wish, but she was killed by a witch before she was asked…"

The setting changed again, to a desk. An orange-haired girl sat in front paper, surrounded by copics, coloring diligently.

"And her," Ryubey started, its memories slowly surfacing back to it. "I contracted her, as well. She wanted to make money for her family with her prints. Like the other one, she died on her first witch hunt…"

This time, a purple-haired girl appeared.

"And that's Hana! She was a kendo practioner. She wished to win her competition, but died in her second witch hunt after receiving a broken arm and shattered wrist in the first…" The setting continued to change, with Ryubey recognizing every magical girl it had ever contracted. Every girl it had killed, with no gain for the battle against Entropy. And each time, that uncomfortable feeling of emotion welled up in Ryubey's tiny chest.

"Stop…" it said aloud, closing its eyes and shaking this head. "Stop this…I don't wish to see this…s-stop!" Its voice began to lose its usual monotone drawl, breaking ever so slightly. Another girl it had contracted appeared…another girl that fell for the tricks of an Incubator.

"S-stop…_please stop_!" Ryubey felt tears escape its eyes, dripping down its furry face.

_Sadness. This was what sadness felt like._ "I-I don't want to see them! It's because of me that they died! I _killed_ them!" Ryubey became frightened as the stream of water coming from its eyes grew thicker, and its breathing pace quickened. "I killed them…they had so much they wanted to do, so many hopes and dreams…b-but my quota had to be filled somehow…"

_Anger. Regret. _Letting this "emotion" overcome it, Ryubey began to wail. "I betrayed all of them! They trusted me, and I _betrayed_ them! I-I told them that they have to slay witches, because witches are evil…but…b-but the species I belong to…me…_I'm the evil one!"_ Ryubey was convinced it was dying. Never before had it felt so much overwhelming despair; never had it felt so vulnerable. Perhaps this was Kyubey's way of punishing it. Perhaps this is what it feels like to be "ended". The volatile Incubator just hoped this uncomfortably heavy feeling in its chest and water blurring its vision would stop soon.

Suddenly, Ryubey felt itself being picked up by the pink girl. She cradled the Incubator in her arms tightly.

"It must have been so awful," she whispered softly. "Contracting all those girls…feeling responsible for them, perhaps even proud of them, and then watching them perish. You've suffered so much…" Ryubey cuddled into her embrace, cherishing the soothing energy that seemed to pour from this girl. Ryubey couldn't think of a name for the warmth, but it felt really nice. The water from its eyes stopped.

"I wanted to show you that the girls you've contracted are all ok now," she explained. "The universe has been altered. You never contracted them, and they never died."

"I-I see…" Ryubey managed. A fresh, light feeling lifted some of the weight from its chest.

_And this feeling…relief…_

"But…I don't understand." Ryubey looked up at the girl holding it. "Why do I have this problem? In my chest, I mean. Kyubey says it is because I'm sick. Was I really born with an awful disorder, as Kyubey said? If so, why did the Incubators send me-" But the pink girl shook her head.

"No Ryubey, you are not sick. What you are describing is emotion, and yes, it is unusual for Incubators to have it. But you haven't always been an Incubator, Runa."

_Runa. _Why was that name so familiar? Had Ryubey contracted someone with that name? Ryubey looked up, a trace of confusion in its otherwise monotone face.

"I don't understand."

"You were a really wonderful person." She affectionately stroked Ryubey's soft, strawberry-red fur. "You were so caring, that when a precious friend became a witch, you tried to make a wish to have the power to turn her back. But that wish made you the way you are now."

"A wish?" Ryubey shook its head. "No, that's wrong. I grant wishes, I don't receive them."

"Perhaps," the girl smiled sadly. "But that was not the case when you were a young girl." Ryubey froze.

_A girl._

_I was…a girl?_

"You made a wish after your friend fell into despair. You wanted to have the power to break contracts. Kyubey misheard your wish. He believed you wanted to_ make_ contracts, and thus, you became this way."

_I'm not…y-yes, she's right!_

_I'm not an Incubator at all! I'm not Ryubey…_

"You never became a magical girl, because you inadvertently wished yourself into becoming an Incubator. And that took away all your memories and emotions. But because you were such a strong-willed person by nature, not even turning into an Incubator could make you lose all your compassion. That's the feeling in your chest you just mentioned."

_That's right! I'm Runa! My name is Runa!_

Ryubey immediately pulled out the capsule from its scarf.

"Ah, I see you kept your soul gem," the girl nodded. "Further proof of your past life."

"I don't want to be like this," Ryubey told her. "I just found out what emotion is, and who I used to be…I really don't want to be like this!"

"You don't _have_ to be like this," she assured it. "The witches are all gone now. Which means everything-your wish, and Mizuko's death-never happened."

_M-Mizuko! _The name ignited something with Ryubey's chest.

"Miss, please tell me…" it began. "Mizuko…who is she?"

"A friend of yours," the pink girl smiled. "She sings beautifully."

_The girl with the voice of a dove. _Ryubey opened its mouth to reply, when a sweet, hauntingly familiar voice filled its ears. Ryubey flipped over in the girl's arms, meeting the turquoise eyes of its former best friend a few feet away.

"I'm back, Runa," the minty-haired girl told the Incubator with a comforting smile.

"M-Mizu-chan?" Ryubey muttered, scampering down from the arms holding it. She nodded, grinning. To Ryubey's utter confusion, its eyes filled with tears again. But unlike the last time, it didn't feel miserable.

"M-Mi…MIZUKO!" Ryubey wailed, dashing over to her, tears streaming down its face. Mizuko caught the little alien in her arms and hugged it tight.

"This goddess told me what happened," Mizuko whispered. "About how I became a witch…and how your wish made you into what you are now."

"I-I'm so sorry, Mizu-chan…" Ryubey sobbed, thick tears pouring from its small red eyes. "I-I've been searching for you…I didn't remembering you, but I never stopped searching…and now I remember! I remember you, I remember my life…I remember how to feel again!" At this, Ryubey's entire body was encased with warmth. It felt the lightness (_joy_?) in its chest increase tenfold, and it felt its paws, tail, and ears all begin to meld together. When the transformation was over, Mizuko was holding a slightly smaller girl in her arms, with short and disheveled hair the color of wild strawberries.

Runa looked up, her cheeks still damp from sobbing. With a warm smile, Mizuko took the end of the blue scarf on Runa's neck and gently wiped the tears away.

"Welcome back, Runa."

When they finally broke their hug, the goddess presented Mizuko the choice of contracting in the new world, knowing that she could have her wish and not risk becoming a witch. Mizuko still denied it.

"I'm through with magic," she told the goddess with conviction. "I don't even care about that stupid show anymore. I want to stay with Runa."

"Very well," the pink girl nodded. "In ten days time, the two of you will completely forget about the world of magical girls. Your decision is set, though, Mizuko. Should Kyubey try contracting you, you will deny it." The soothing, angelic world around them began to fade. "I have other business to attend to, but please remember that neither of you will ever be alone again. You have each other, and I will be watching over both of you."

"T-thank you," Runa managed, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Thank you…so much."

For the first time since forming her contract with Kyubey, Runa felt truly happy. She never realized how much she'd missed being in a human body. She would never have to roam the streets invisible to most, or seal the downfall of another girl.

_And the girl with the voice of a dove…I finally found you, Mizuko._

In those ten days, Runa never forgot her time spent as Ryubey. In fact, she made it a point to use it to her advantage.

"I _ate myself_ for you, so I think I have the upper hand here," she would reply whenever her and Mizuko got into some kind of debate. Mizuko, of course, never had a way to counter the remark.

"Why did you even do that?" Hana wondered, wrinkling her noise. The purple-haired girl had recently befriended the underclassmen, after Runa attended one of her kendo practices. She was also under the goddess' ten day rule of briefly remembering her magical girl life, and had learned all about Ryubey's true identity. Runa shrugged.

"It's what Incubators do to dispose of their old, inactive bodies. I didn't really think much of it at the time."

"I still find it so odd, though," Hana ate a forkful of her vanilla cake. "The fact you were actually a person the whole time, I mean. And an underclassmen, no less! I totally thought you were just one of those animal sidekicks you see in magical girl anime."

"Oh, Runa!" The bakery door swung open, and a brown-haired girl entered. She stopped when she noticed the three girls at the table were staring at her, and her gaze quickly fell.

"O-oh, um, I-I'm sorry, am I interrupting something…"

"No, not at all! What's up, Akari?" She gestured for the girl to come by their table. She timidly obliged.

"Um, it's about Kenji-kun…" Runa leaned in with interest.

"Ooh! Well, what did he say?"Akari blushed with a small smile.

"H-he asked me on a date!" Runa feigned surprise.

"Ah, really?! That's awesome! Congratulations, Akari-chan!"

"Yes, congrats!" Hana agreed.

"That's great!" Mizuko smiled.

"T-thanks, everyone!" Akari dipped her head, still smiling. "Anyways, I just wanted to let you know, Runa. Since you had asked me about it."

"See, I _knew_ he would say yes!" Runa assured her friend. Of course, she left out the _way _she had known. Runa had personally scouted out this Kenji boy and demanded to know if he liked Akari. When he admitted that he'd liked her for a long time, Runa told him that Akari liked him, too, and he would have to be a complete idiot to not ask Akari on a date. Apparently, her lecture paid off.

"On that note, I think I'm going to go head over to his house now to study. I'll see you all tomorrow!" Akari waved quickly to the group, before heading towards the door.

Runa sat back with a satisfied smile as she watched the girl leave. She didn't have to be an Incubator to make wishes come true.

"And I should probably head over to practice," Hana concluded, standing up and stretching. "I'll catch you two later."

"See you, Hana! Oh, and I'll be at your next tournament!" Runa promised her.

"You'd better!" Hana grinned. She waved and followed after Akari.

"Which reminds me, I'm going to Tsubasa's art show this weekend," Runa told the remaining girl at their table. "I'm going to buy as many of her prints as I can afford!"

"You're getting pretty popular, huh?" Mizuko said, grinning.

"I mean, I don't know about 'popular'…" Runa muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Regardless, it seems your Incubator days did have some benefits."

"…Yeah, I suppose they did." She stared at the single strawberry left on her plate. Mizuko had left her strawberry, too. The minty haired girl scooped it up with her fork and placed it on Runa's plate.

"W-what's this for?"

"The strawberry's your favorite part of the cake, right?" Mizuko smiled. "It's all yours."

"Really?" Mizuko nodded.

"Thanks, Mizu-chan! Oh…are you ok, by the way?" she asked in the quieter voice.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"About not getting the lead part." Mizuko had still auditioned, and though it went well, she ended up second to an upperclassmen.

"Honestly, there were way too many lines to memorize," Mizuko admitted. "Plus, now I have way more time to spend with you!"

"And with 100% less demented scarecrows," Runa added, and they shared their first laugh in ages.

"We should sing karaoke tonight," Mizuko proposed once they settled down. "We have plenty of time, since we're so far ahead in all of our school work."

"_What_? Mizuko, you know I can't sing for my life. Are you sure you want to subject your poor ears to that?"

"I just ate a whole slice of cake, Runa. I'm not going to sound much better." Runa considered this, then nodded.

"Fair enough." She stabbed the first strawberry with her fork and ate it.

"And you know what, Runa?" Mizuko went on. "With practice, I bet you could learn to sing, too!"

"Huh? N-no way!" Runa shook her head quickly.

"Aw, come on! You could learn to sing, and then we could become a pop singing duo! Ooh, but we'll need a name. Hm…how about 'Strawberry Dove'?"

"_No_, Mizuko, we're _not _doing that!" Runa flushed, picturing herself in one of the pop-singing get-ups that those kinds of girls wore.

"Fine, fine. But at least let me teach you how to sing!"

"…Alright." Runa stabbed the second strawberry.

"After a few sessions, I bet you'll sound amazing," Mizuko told her.

"I guess we'll see." Runa put the fork in her mouth and stared out the bakery window. This time, there was no Kyubey staring back.

_Thanks for teaching me how to socialize, Kyubey, s_he thought with an amused smile, imagining the grinning face of Hana and Akari. Then she stared up at the sky.

_And you…I don't know who you are, but your wish saved me. So thank you, too._

In just a few days, this whole turmoil of events will be completely forgotten. Although Runa wasn't particularly found of her Incubator days, she still hoped she would retain some of the stuff she'd learned through the whole experience.

But that didn't matter at this point. Besides, she had a karaoke night with Mizuko to look forward to. If Mizuko's voice was altered by sugar, Runa's voice was probably going to sound extra awful.

_On that note…I think I'll have another slice of cake._

_End_

A huge thanks to all of my readers! I had a great time writing this little story, so hopefully it was enjoyable to read, too~ If you have been reading up until this point and would like to let me know your thoughts on the story, now's your chance in the reviews! Once again, thank you for sticking with me!


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